Libyan officials reported this week that the remains of nearly 50 individuals have been discovered in two separate mass graves located in the arid landscapes of southeastern Libya. This alarming find underscores the ongoing peril faced by migrants attempting to reach Europe through this crisis-ridden nation.
Details of the discoveries
The first mass grave, containing 19 bodies, was unearthed on Friday at a farm near the city of Kufra, as confirmed by the local security directorate. In a subsequent statement, authorities indicated that the remains would be subjected to autopsy for further investigation.
Images shared on social media by the Alwahat security directorate depicted police and medical teams engaged in the grim task of excavating the site, revealing wrapped bodies buried beneath the sand. Following this discovery, the NGO Migrant Rescue Watch also disseminated these images, highlighting the urgency of the situation.
“Some were apparently shot and killed before being buried in the mass grave,”
noted the al-Abreen charity, which extends support to migrants in the eastern and southern regions of Libya. In a separate but related incident, a second mass grave was discovered in Kufra, which is believed to contain at least 30 bodies. This grave was uncovered following a raid on a known human trafficking operation. Mohamed al-Fadeil, the head of the security chamber in Kufra, reported that survivors had indicated as many as 70 individuals might be interred in this site.
The broader context of migration in Libya
Mass graves associated with migrants have become distressingly common in Libya. In a previous instance last year, authorities recovered the remains of at least 65 migrants from a grave near the Shuayrif region, situated approximately 350 kilometers south of Tripoli.
Libya remains a primary transit hub for migrants hailing from various African and Middle Eastern countries, striving to reach Europe. The nation has been mired in turmoil since the NATO-backed uprising that resulted in the ousting and death of long-standing ruler Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The ensuing chaos has left Libya divided, with rival governments in the east and west, each supported by numerous militias and foreign interests.
Human traffickers have exploited more than a decade of instability, engaging in the smuggling of migrants across Libya’s borders with six different countries: Chad, Niger, Sudan, Egypt, Algeria, and Tunisia. Once these individuals reach the coast, they are often crammed into poorly equipped rubber boats and other vessels, embarking on dangerous journeys across the treacherous Central Mediterranean Sea.
For years, human rights organizations and U.N. agencies have documented widespread mistreatment of migrants within Libya, which includes forced labor, beatings, sexual violence, and torture. Such abuses frequently accompany attempts to extort money from the families of these migrants before they are permitted to leave Libya aboard traffickers’ boats.
Furthermore, those intercepted and returned to Libya, including vulnerable women and children, find themselves confined in government-operated detention centers where they continue to face severe abuse, including torture, sexual assault, and extortion, as reported by human rights advocates and U.N. experts.